auer weber completes ESO headquarters extension in garching, germany

auer weber completes ESO headquarters extension in garching, germany
photo © roland halbe
all images courtesy of auer weber

the ‘ESO headquarters extension’ in garching, germany, has been designed by auer weber to complement the original architecture by fehling+gogel. the existing home for the organization is renowned for its unique design, which symbolizes the scientific study of the cosmos carried out at european organisation for astronomic research in the southern hemisphere. the building stands alone at the edge of garching’s green belt, where its elegant curves express a successful symbiosis between landscape and building, embracing the natural surroundings. therefore, keeping the character of the site and emphasizing the communicative atmosphere in close touch with the countryside form the key aspects for this design concept.

photo © ESO

the result is a combination of two structures: an office building and a technical building. the office building is enclosed by a sinuous shape that continues the gesture of undulation with two inner courtyards that make an extensive use of natural light sources. the technical building is a cylinder construction with a diameter the size of the 39-meter primary mirror of the E-ELT (the european extremely large telescope). these are embedded within the natural surroundings while functionally and formally blending with the existing headquarters in respect to its prime position. in this context, the dominating circular form refers to scientific communication and this design element is overtaken and transformed into the extension. while the extant annex is composed of a series of arcs opening out into the neighboring setting, the addition forms a uninterrupted band of convex and concave loops that enclose inner circulation features, communication zones, and public facilities.

photo © ESO

from the retained lobby, a path through an internal bridge connects the three edifices. vehicular access and a direct doorway to the extension are provided via the access corridor to the parking spaces. these are arranged in a ring around the functional and structural components on the ground floor of the office and conference building underneath the first floor slab. this entrance includes a taxi drop-off zone and a separate reception, which can also be used for major events such as congresses or seminars.

photo © ESO

the auditorium, council room, and cafeteria form the balance point of the master plan. additional communication zones with reading areas are arranged on both upper floors around the two round cutouts with scenes to the outside. one of these cutouts, with a diameter of 8.20 meters, has exactly the same dimensions as the large VLT mirrors at the paranal observatory in chile, another structure designed by auer weber. similar reference dimensions to other telescopes of the ESO fleet can be found throughout the design. work stations are placed in the outer ring to ensure that there are views to the countryside. larger offices, as well as the meeting rooms, are located in the two inner rings in relation to the courtyards.

photo © ESO

planted areas between structures are developed in accordance with the overall landscaping scheme. the form appears as a structure floating above the existing scenery with pavement kept to a minimum and green planes placed as close as possible to the new building. interstitial spaces are occupied by avenues for pedestrians and car access roads made from asphalt. the installation of supplementary shrubs respects the character of the site where open fields meet densely wooded areas. trees were planted in selected zones to determine visual sight lines rather than to obstruct the views outwards.

photo © ESO

for the framework, the first and second levels rest on a concrete base that forms sculpted spaces following the lines of the layout. in addition, inclined columns of the same material are arranged in a circular fashion on the ground floor to support the floor slabs. these slabs have been combined with a shear wall construction used on the second floor, allowing the protrusion of a wide, column-free cantilever that enhances the perception of the complex as a floating object. this structural system is balanced through a specifically developed tie-beam system which enables the cantilever of the lower slabs to metaphorically hang from the building’s roof. during daylight, the existing headquarters and the environment are reflected as fractured images through the shingled-folded façade. in the evening when the building is lit from inside, the optical aesthetic is reinforced by a band of luminance hovering aboveground. this is enhanced with the dim illumination from the embedded down lights in the suspended ceiling of the ground floor.

photo © ESO

project info:

client: european organisation for astronomical research in the southern hemisphere (ESO), garching, germany
architects: auer weber architekten BDA
design team: philipp auer, martin klemp, christian richardt, heinz wendl, dominic horn, birte böttger, sascha dehnst, joachim esser, stefanie kahle, jakob plötz, ingo pucci, martin janik, kang-min òee
execution planning: auer weber architekten BDA
landscape architect: gesswein landschaftsarchitekten and naturaplan
cost calculation and site supervision: wenzel + wenzel
structure: mayr ludescher und partner
technical installations: DS-plan ingenieurgesellschaft
lighting design: schmidt könig
acoustics: müller-BBM GmbH
soil expertise surveying: mplan eG
coordination of health and safety measures: ingenieurbüro dingethal GmbH
fire protection: hhpberlin
general contractor: BAM-germany
completion: december 2013
gross floor area: 18.736 m²

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